How to Develop Content for a Nonprofit’s Website

I have run websites for many non-profits and I find we (the sector) have an additional challenge when we develop content for our websites because we need to cater for and talk to a diverse range of stakeholders.

It is important to continually develop content so that we keep our websites fresh and our website visitors (our prospective partners, donors, volunteers) interested in what we say and do.

You need to be clear when you write your content who it is for.  

It will also serve you well to have a blog/news feed with clearly defined categories for your articles.  

Try assigning an article to your staff or volunteers so that each person is writing a few articles every 6 months.  No more than 500 words a piece and have fun with it.  Keep it simple. 

Don’t make the mistake of writing for one size fits all because it doesn’t work.  People become confused and will switch off from all your content if it is not clearly written for them and they will leave your website forever.  

So let’s look at the types of content you might develop based on your stakeholders. 

Develop content for funders and donors:

• Tell your story.  Be creative.  Video is a great tool for this. 
• Share your outcomes 
• Case studies 
• Feature your people
• Feature your projects
• Showcase any media attention
• Where does the money go 
• A specific article dedicated to each funder (and in some case individual donors) making it clear who funds what

Develop Content to attract volunteers or staff: 

• Why is it good to work or volunteer at your organisation?
• What are the benefits of working with you that they may not get elsewhere?   It may sound silly but having a coffee machine, or a regular morning tea or staff celebration go a long way in attracting people!!! 
• Articles from staff or volunteers directly
• Videos from the team
• What are the pathways to other employment

Develop content for clients and/or their support network: 

• Why would people come to you for support?
• What can you do to help family members
• Articles and tip sheets – what problems are people experiencing
• Links to online tools as well as other organisations you partner with
• Case Studies 
• Feature your team, share photo’s and friendly bio’s to build familiarity 
• Video 

Develop content for partner organisations (such as referring organisations): 

Your partners will likely find the information you have available for your clients and their families useful.  Just make it easy for them to find.  In addition:

• Referral information
• Eligibility information 
• Feature articles about your partners
• Links to your partner’s site
• Blog articles about your profession

In summing up, your website should be for all your stakeholders HOWEVER you should make it EASY for your various audiences to find their section of the website as soon as they land on the home page of your website.   A good example of this is to have clearly defined sections and menus and links. 

For information on developing the essential ingredients for a website and how to properly structure your website menus see my blog post here: https://digitalserviceslab.com.au/non-profit-website/